Caustic -The Golden Vagina Of Fame And Profit review

Label: Metropolis Records

Madison, Wisconsin (and the greater Midwest in general) is home to a thriving hotbed of loud, aggressive Electronica, and Matt Fanale (aka Caustic) has been a key player in this consistency. I have been a hardcore fanatic of his offbeat, brash and often overlooked brand of Industrial since a local DJ spun 2006’s Unicorns, Kittens and Shit. Booze Up and Riot (2007) , This Is Jizzcore! (2009) and And You Will Know Me By the Trail of Vomit (2010) have grown in complexity and have consistently been better than similar albums by more established acts but have gone largely unnoticed by many due to the humor displayed within. He makes the music he wants to make (generally, the weirder the better) yet people still find it odd that he is one of the most musically knowledgeable and brutally honest artists in this scene and beyond. He takes shots at his peers consistently, skewering the seriousness and simple mistakes of any musician equally. There is nothing sacred in the underground, and why should there be? He has also been willing to engage in pointed debates and what could be called an education of his growing legion of online fans. Not to mention, Caustic’s now legendary live performances and antics have been rivaled only by GWAR, and that’s only because they have a bigger budget. Many ignorant critics have mistaken Matt’s constant self-deprecation (or is that defecation?) and harsh high school humor as the end all, be-all of this project while ignoring the inconvenient truth:Caustic also makes damn good (if a bit undefinable) music. All kidding aside, let’s face facts, no one could turn down the allure of a golden vagina, now could they?

Caustic has hovered like an insect carrying an incurable disease on the fringes of a bigger Industrial field since the beginning, and his [annoying? hardworking?] persistence finally infected Metropolis Records, who apparently caved into the pressure of us vocal minority and signed him. The Golden Vagina Of Fame and Profit was recently released, and like a fist full of fingers, the fifth is the charm. If being an Industrial artist is as Midwestern as say, burlesque and baseball, this album is a home run (that may or may not linger a wee bit too long on second and third bases.)

“666 On The Crucifix” opens this game with a club-tested TBM beat that is easily Caustic’s most well-produced track yet and sets the tone for the whole experience. “Hiroshima Burn” is reminiscent of early Powernoize Combichrist, while “Darling Nicky’s Gnarly Dicking” will compel you into an Electro-stomp sweat while you crave a cold shower [*Nicky not included.] Like all good pole dancers and golden glove winners, though, Caustic has some all-star artists to back his ass up this go round. Unwoman is ironically more than woman enough on the Synthpop lament “Orchid”, while Bitch Brigade adds sultry sweet-and-sour vocals on the club smash “Generate Chaos.” A surprise return from Ned Kirby of Stromkern yields much appreciated hip-hop flavoring to “Chum The Waters”, and the insanity finally ends with “White Knuckle Head Fuck”, a supremely personal, club-savvy Industrial shout-off between Caustic and Faderhead that is as much heart wrenching as it is boot crunching.

In the end Caustic busts both kinds of balls in style, puts up an exclamation point in the form of a middle finger on his win, and justifies his long-overdue début in the big leagues known as Metropolis Records. You could fork over the cash to The Golden Vagina of Fame and Profit and be supremely satisfied, or you could be a lame, uptight hater and attempt to ignore one of the best albums so far this year. Don’t be a hater.